The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist Committee on Ethics just published Refusal of Medically Recommended Treatment During Pregnancy. The update to the 2005 Committee Opinion Number 321 reaffirms in no uncertain terms that a woman has the right to...
In 2014 the U.S. national cesarean rate was 32.2%, 1.3 million U.S. women gave birth by cesarean. According to the World Health Organization, “cesarean section rates up to 10-15% at the population level are associated with decreases in maternal, neonatal and infant...
Nurses play a significant role in helping women complete their VBAC labors. Women laboring for a VBAC may have more anxiety than women having first babies, and may need extra support. They are grateful for all the encouragement, validation, and labor progress...
By Jess Larsen Jukelevics, MA, CD(DONA) VBAC families commonly come to birth with hopes or determination for a different experience, fear of repeating some part of their first birth, and sometimes unresolved feelings about giving birth again. In short, it can often...
Maternity care professionals have many suggestions for increasing awareness about the safety of VBAC and supporting mothers who want to labor after a prior cesarean. They only need an opportunity to make that happen. On Saturday, September 19, I had the honor of...
Dear Friends & Colleagues, We are excited to announce that The VBAC Education Project is now available to download online at no cost from https://www.vbac.com/the-vbac-education-project/ The evidence-based, collaborative, teaching tool endorsed by the...
August is the month dedicated to increasing awareness about the benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and babies. Breastfeeding provides optimal health, nutritional, immunologic and developmental benefits to newborns as well as protection from postpartum complications...
VBAC was deemed a reasonable and safe option to a routine repeat cesarean by the National Institutes of Health decades ago (1981). But, in recent years, misinformation about its safety and lack of clear national practice guidelines have succeeded in virtually...
Brigid Maher, a tenured, associate professor of Film and Media Arts Division in the School of Communication at American University will soon be releasing a documentary about the health benefits and advantages of midwifery care for women with a prior cesarean. The Mama...